ConsultantsMind readers,
I’ve been blogging since 2012. After 600+ blog posts and thousands of consultants and students trained, I’ve got a few things to share with you:
a) Coursera - Management Consulting specialization. 75 videos, 5 courses. This is direct, useful stuff to know as a new consultant or corporate manager. Did my best to make it direct, useful, and something that can help you work smarter and lazier.
450+ reviews, 4.8 stars, take a look. 9,000 people have enrolled so far
Management Consulting on Coursera here.
b) The book to go along with it. 176 pages, in color. Shipped by Amazon here. Even if you don’t want to go through the Coursera, this can also be a standalone. Good stuff:
How to break down problems into simple “buckets”.
How to be a great “grinder” that everyone wants on their project.
How to run client interviews, customer surveys, and benchmarking.
How to think crisply and demonstrate gravitas in what you say and do.
How to find your “unfair” advantage as a solo-entrepreneur and drive business.
c) For the table of contents, the Coursera and the book follow the same numbering:
1.0 Introduction to consulting
1.1 Who should read this book?
1.2 What will you learn?
1.3 Consultants help executives
1.4 Who is your client?
1.5 Consulting = solving puzzles
1.6 Assessments & implementation
1.7 Reasons to love consulting
1.8 Consultant’s mindset
1.9 Demonstrate clear thinking
1.10 How to interview clients
1.11 This is an apprenticeship
1.12 Why hire consultants?
1.13 Beginning a project
1.14 Clients need your help
2.0 Getting a consulting job
2.1 Think like a partner
2.2 Profitability = utilization
2.3 Consulting competencies
2.4 Write and speak simply
2.5 Write up meeting minutes
2.6 Project lifecycle
2.7 Prepare for a project
2.8 Internal consulting tips
2.9 – 2.10 Networking
2.11 Consulting = people business
2.12 What are firms looking for?
2.13 Behavioral interviews
2.14 Case interviews
3.0 Consulting approach
3.1 Open problems up slowly
3.2 Scope the problem
3.3 Group into “buckets”
3.4 Use “logic trees”
3.5 Dig for oil with hypotheses
3.6 Gain confidence as you go
3.7 Consultants love data
3.8 Messy data is an opportunity
3.9 Analysis gives credibility
3.10 Transform data into insights
3.11 Send out data requests
3.12 Cleanse and prep data
3.13 Nag professionally
3.14 – 3.15 DMAIC
4.0 Consulting tools and tips
4.1 Get smart quickly
4.2 Get smart on industry trends
4.3 Use www.Finviz.com
4.4 Consider paid research
4.5 - 4.7 Industry and competition
4.8 Create new data
4.9 Launch surveys
4.10 Conduct observations
4.11 – 4.12 Benchmarking
4.13 Competitive intelligence
4.14 – 4.15 Excel modeling
5.0 Presentations
5.1 – 5.2 Proposals and SoW
5.3 Selling without selling
5.4 Storytelling
5.5 Storyboard like a movie
5.6 Four hats of writing
5.7 Pyramid principle
5.8 Frameworks to show process
5.9 Frameworks for segmentation
5.10 Applying frameworks
5.11 – 5.13 Charts – good, bad, ugly
5.14 Before “game day”
5.15 Presentation “game day”
5.16 Presentations for others
5.17 PowerPoint titles
5.18 One-pagers
5.19 Executive presence
5.20 Gravitas
For those who’ve been with me for 11+ years, keep winning. I’ll keep working to make this stuff useful for you.
John